Nutcracker



M. L. MINOR.

NUTCRACKER.

"APPLICATION men JUNE n, 1919.

Patented Feb. 17,1920.

MARCUS L. MINOR, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

NUTCRAC KER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

Application filed June 11, 1919. Serial No. 363,45)?

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Millions L. Minor, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and btate of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Nutcrackers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the in vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to a device for cracking nuts and the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, practicable, substantial, and powerful and readily adjustable nut-cracker, whereby nuts of different sizes can be readily opened by the application of pressure through suitable handle or lever members. A further object of the invention is to provide a nut-cracker of an extremely small number of parts which are inexpensively manufactured and to provide further but a single resilient member having numerous functions, among which are first; to automatically open the acting jaws of the tool and second to readily yield to permit the sliding motion of one of the elements on the other and also to hold the members temporarily in any given assembled position from which they may be readily moved in either direction and then automatically interlocked.

With these and other objects in view as will become manifest to those versed in the art, the invention consists in the construction, combination and details and arrangements of the parts as more particularly described hereinafter relative to the embodi ment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved nut-cracker, the parts being in position as applied to a nut.

Fig. 2 is an end or face view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a central, longitudinal, sectional view throu h the device showing the parts in interloc red position, the levers being broken away.

Fig. 41, is a view in longitudinal section of the parts in unlocked relation.

The present device comprises a pair of handles 2 and 3, the former of which is provided with an enlarged jaw portion 4 having a central, longitudinal chamber 5, the transverse end of the jaw portion being provided with a jaw or seat portion 6 receive the end or a portion of a nut N to be cracked when pressure is applied to the handles 2-3. Extending through the cen tral chamber 5 is the shank portion 6 of the handle 3. This shank portion has transverse and laterally extending head or jaw 7 which may be provided with a seat or counter-sunk portion 8 complementary to the jaw portion 6 of the other lever member. The two lever are designed to be moved longitudinally of each other freely and yet automatically interlock so that one jaw will fulcrum on the other when pressure is applied to contract the handles 23. To secure the automatic interlocking of the jaws at diverse relative positions, in which positions the space between the jaws 6 and 8 vary according to the size of the nut to be cracked, one of these members is provided on an edge or face with a series of notches or teeth 10 as shown in this case formed on the back ed e of the shank 6 and a complementary fulcrum point or tooth 11 is formed on the adjacent face 12 in the chamber 5 through which the shank 6 slides longitudinally in either direction. To automatically interlock the notches 10 and the tooth or fulcrum 11, I utilize a single spring member 13 which is appropriately secured at its lower end in any suitable manner, as at 14:, to the jaw of the lever 2, the upper end of the spring 13 springing outwardly and operating in a channel or way 15 formed in the adjacent face of the shank 6. The reaction of the spring 12 thus forces the toothed or notched surface 10 of the shank 6 against the fulcrum 11' at any position of the shank in the chamber 5. To secure a change of position it is only necessary to disengage the fulcrum and the notched surface as clearly shown in Fig. 4: by movement of the head 7 in the direction of the arrow (4. When so disengaged the shank 6 can be pushed upwardly readily enough to increase the space between the jaws 6 and 8. Obviously when the parts are in the interlocking position, Fig. 3, a downward pull on the lever 3 or an upper push on the lever 2 is permissible by the yielding action of the spring 13, this motion resulting in the movement of the jaws 6-8 toward each other.

The normal tendency of the spring 13 is to rock the head about the point 11, Fig. 3, so that the rack or toothed surface is disengaged from the tooth l1 and rests on the smooth upper inclined surface 12; the edges of the shank 6 extending along the ends of the teeth (Fig. 4) contacting With the said face 12. To adjust the tool it is only necessary to grip the head of it With the fingers of the left hand and slide the.

part 4: by pulling the handle up or down the shank 6* while the tooth is, as above described, normally disengaged from the rack.

What I claim is:

A tool comprising a pair of jawed members one slidably inserted through an eye in the other and having a groove on one side and a ratchet rack on the opposed side, a tooth on one member in said eye engaging said ratchet rack and forming a fulcrum for pivoting said members and a spring fixed to said eyed member and slidable in said groove to yieldingly hold said tooth in engagement with any of the teeth of said rack. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MARCUS L. MINOR. 

